Forum member @Teardropper has a book on the subject: Building a Teardrop Trailer: Plans and Methods for Crafting an Heirloom Camper
You might search for his threads and posts on this forum.
general thoughts on offroad teardrops? Think I might need a little more room.
- Thread starter nomad_games
- Start date
You might search for his threads and posts on this forum.
billiebob
Well-known member
Teardropper
Well-known member
Offroad, there's that word again. Lots of different meanings for lots of folks. Are we talking off the pavement? On some dust two-track? Or a boxy-looking teardrop?
We've taken ours on many rough un-maintained roads. I'm a believer in torsion axles and radial tires for a superior ride and a happy trailer. MPG? My Taco drops about 4 MPG when we're pulling our teardrop. But mileage varies with how fast you want to cruise of course.
A five-wide teardrop is a queen-sized bed. We have a mattress that is made from 5" of medium density foam and 3" of memory foam. It's a superb bed.
Teardrops aren't for everyone. You cook outside. You eat outside. But you have a quite comfortable bed. There's all but no setup. Unhitch, set out a table and two chairs and we're camping. Lock her up and go for a drive, fish or a look-see.
Tony
I have to say, I like the design of the Overkill Campers out of Bend, OR. They have a slideout which allows the bed to move out of the way. Seems like you can sit inside and eat on a dining table and the cook can pass the food through the galley wall right on the dining table. I don't think this type of trailer would be considered a teardrop trailer though.
nomad_games
Active member
sorry for the late response. I'm traveling and not near my computer more than once every few days and my phone barely works in AZ and NM.
the main reason I was thinking about a trailer of some sort is not having to unpack my truck to have space to sleep in it. I would prefer some solution that either had most of my storage outside of my truck and secure, with most of my truck interior reserved for sleeping, so I can pull up, crawl in the back, and sleep. OR, all of the storage in the truck, and a trailer I can crawl into and sleep. Stealth is an issue for me, and I don't like soft side tents, which is why i'm looking at teardrops and not one of those trailer you put an RTT on, or just an RTT itself.
I'm not looking for something to hang out in during the day. At the moment, I have the luxury of roaming where and when I want and can avoid bad weather.
as far as offroad, I mean anything from fire roads to gnarly 4x4 and clearance necessary, actual offroading.
let me put it this way: I own next to nothing. some clothes, some skis and mountaineering gear, a mountain bike, my 2019 4runner, a computer, my phone, and some tools. that's literally it. I'm not looking for glamping or a mini RV.
at any rate, I took my Yakima skybox off and greatly minimized the amount of stuff I'm carrying. Put it all in cheap mini storage in Flagstaff. My MTB is getting serviced, so that frees up my interior as well. I gained a couple inches of ground clearance from losing the weight, and about 3mpg from losing the top box drag.
the main reason I was thinking about a trailer of some sort is not having to unpack my truck to have space to sleep in it. I would prefer some solution that either had most of my storage outside of my truck and secure, with most of my truck interior reserved for sleeping, so I can pull up, crawl in the back, and sleep. OR, all of the storage in the truck, and a trailer I can crawl into and sleep. Stealth is an issue for me, and I don't like soft side tents, which is why i'm looking at teardrops and not one of those trailer you put an RTT on, or just an RTT itself.
I'm not looking for something to hang out in during the day. At the moment, I have the luxury of roaming where and when I want and can avoid bad weather.
as far as offroad, I mean anything from fire roads to gnarly 4x4 and clearance necessary, actual offroading.
let me put it this way: I own next to nothing. some clothes, some skis and mountaineering gear, a mountain bike, my 2019 4runner, a computer, my phone, and some tools. that's literally it. I'm not looking for glamping or a mini RV.
at any rate, I took my Yakima skybox off and greatly minimized the amount of stuff I'm carrying. Put it all in cheap mini storage in Flagstaff. My MTB is getting serviced, so that frees up my interior as well. I gained a couple inches of ground clearance from losing the weight, and about 3mpg from losing the top box drag.
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I love the design of the overkill camper. I haven't been able to get them to reply to an email in over a year though, which in this industry is a very bad omen when you would be sending them a large deposit.
I am a fan of a teardrop/trailer setup. I built one a year ago and have used it extensively, including a two month trip in New Mexico and Colorado. It performed very well. I put a rooftop tent on the top, and between the camper and the tent this set up can accommodate my wife and two kids.
Pros
1. I like being able to set up camp and then have the vehicle at my disposal for exploring.
2. The trailer has a full size seven inch memory foam mattress. Good sleep = good trip.
3. The trailer is insulated (r33 throughout), has fans, windows, vents, and is waterproof. Very convenient for bad weather. It is true that standing up is not an option. However, if an area is going to have exceptionally bad weather for a long time. I just drive somewhere that doesn't or get a hotel and do some laundry and grab a nice shower. However, I usually use weather as an excuse to sit under the awning and drink coffee, read a book, catch up with my wife, and watch my kids run through mud puddles.
4. The trailer has d load 31 inch all terrain tires, an articulating hitch, and I flipped the axle for good ground clearance. "Offroading" is a very subjective term. Obviously, there are limitations dragging a trailer, but so far I have yet to get "stuck".
5. A trailer is arguably less setup.
6. Four walls give a sense of security. My family appreciates this. My wife did not grow up camping and, at first, was very hesitant to be "in the middle of nowhere in a tent". The trailer has really relieved a lot of anxiety. She now really enjoys going. Happy wife (spouse)= happy life.
7. I keep the trailer "ready to go" so last minute trips are much easier. We just throw the cooler in and go.
8. A teardrop style camper is easy to store and park.
9 It can fit into campsites not designed for a traditional rv/camper.
10. They are relatively easy to build. I essentially beefed up a 5x8 utility trailer and built the camper on top of it. I did everything I wanted, used high quality materials, and bought high quality components. The project cost between five to six thousand ( including rooftop tent, tires, water cans, solar, battery, etc). Arguably, much cheaper than buying a camper retail.
11. The trailer has it own battery and solar panel. I like not having to use the truck's battery for everything or add more weight with a double battery set up.
12. I kept mine very simple. Less complexity is less maintenance, easier to fix on the trail, and less expensive.
13. As far as MPG. I average 10 to 14 mpg fully loaded (trailer, two kids, wife, two dogs, gear, food, etc.). I pull it with a 2017 double cab tacoma V6. This is going 65 mile per hour. Obviously, steep climbs will kill the mpg. My wife has 2019 4runner. I have yet to pull with that.
14. The trailer is a good balance between being "lightweight" and maintaining structural integrity. I built mine to be very weatherproof and "solid". It weights around 2000 pounds loaded. The tongue weight is 200 pounds. I like the weight on the tongue because it keeps the back end of the truck planted and enabled better traction. I would not exceed half of the vehicles towing capacity .
Cons
1. Parking is not as easy in populated areas. However, it is doable.
2. Backing up and turning around can be tricky on a trail. I highly recommend practicing backing up and steering a trailer before taking a trip. My trailer has a short tongue and takes some getting used to. It is much different than backing up a trailer with a longer tongue.
3. MPG. You will spend more on gas than if you slept on your hood or under your truck.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
Pros
1. I like being able to set up camp and then have the vehicle at my disposal for exploring.
2. The trailer has a full size seven inch memory foam mattress. Good sleep = good trip.
3. The trailer is insulated (r33 throughout), has fans, windows, vents, and is waterproof. Very convenient for bad weather. It is true that standing up is not an option. However, if an area is going to have exceptionally bad weather for a long time. I just drive somewhere that doesn't or get a hotel and do some laundry and grab a nice shower. However, I usually use weather as an excuse to sit under the awning and drink coffee, read a book, catch up with my wife, and watch my kids run through mud puddles.
4. The trailer has d load 31 inch all terrain tires, an articulating hitch, and I flipped the axle for good ground clearance. "Offroading" is a very subjective term. Obviously, there are limitations dragging a trailer, but so far I have yet to get "stuck".
5. A trailer is arguably less setup.
6. Four walls give a sense of security. My family appreciates this. My wife did not grow up camping and, at first, was very hesitant to be "in the middle of nowhere in a tent". The trailer has really relieved a lot of anxiety. She now really enjoys going. Happy wife (spouse)= happy life.
7. I keep the trailer "ready to go" so last minute trips are much easier. We just throw the cooler in and go.
8. A teardrop style camper is easy to store and park.
9 It can fit into campsites not designed for a traditional rv/camper.
10. They are relatively easy to build. I essentially beefed up a 5x8 utility trailer and built the camper on top of it. I did everything I wanted, used high quality materials, and bought high quality components. The project cost between five to six thousand ( including rooftop tent, tires, water cans, solar, battery, etc). Arguably, much cheaper than buying a camper retail.
11. The trailer has it own battery and solar panel. I like not having to use the truck's battery for everything or add more weight with a double battery set up.
12. I kept mine very simple. Less complexity is less maintenance, easier to fix on the trail, and less expensive.
13. As far as MPG. I average 10 to 14 mpg fully loaded (trailer, two kids, wife, two dogs, gear, food, etc.). I pull it with a 2017 double cab tacoma V6. This is going 65 mile per hour. Obviously, steep climbs will kill the mpg. My wife has 2019 4runner. I have yet to pull with that.
14. The trailer is a good balance between being "lightweight" and maintaining structural integrity. I built mine to be very weatherproof and "solid". It weights around 2000 pounds loaded. The tongue weight is 200 pounds. I like the weight on the tongue because it keeps the back end of the truck planted and enabled better traction. I would not exceed half of the vehicles towing capacity .
Cons
1. Parking is not as easy in populated areas. However, it is doable.
2. Backing up and turning around can be tricky on a trail. I highly recommend practicing backing up and steering a trailer before taking a trip. My trailer has a short tongue and takes some getting used to. It is much different than backing up a trailer with a longer tongue.
3. MPG. You will spend more on gas than if you slept on your hood or under your truck.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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If they don't answer any emails, I don't bother calling.
I am not a fan of giving large deposits for a product that has such a long lead time. At best, they have horrible customer service. Worst case, your money is gone. I hope the latter is not the case, I have heard great things about their trailers. It might be worth showing up at the workshop and kindly inquire about the progress. My prayers are with all small business owners right now. Coming from a construction background, I know how terrifying economic downturns can be.
I've rented a couple of offroad teardrops (SoCal Teardrops and Overland Explorer TDK) and ended up with the TetonX Hybrid.
Standing up to get dressed seems to be a common reason that people mention why they moved to something bigger than a teardrop (TetonX, Mission Overland, Taxa Cricket, Black Series), but I think the biggest advantage over one of those is not having to take your shoes on and off every time you get in and out. The teardrops were great for 4-5 days when the weather was reasonable (southwest US in the late spring through early fall) - definitely much quicker setup than a tent and with an awning, pretty protected from the sun (and rain). But on longer trips, being able to use the interior quickly - because of bad weather or because you're being stealthy without having to take off your shoes (and find a place to stash them - we used a plastic bag on the fender) makes all the difference.
MPG wise, I have a 4-runner with a V8. Initially, I was getting almost 16 mpg. When I put mud tires on it, that dropped to 14.5 mpg. Small lift and aftermarket bumper which removed the air dam on the stock bumper dropped it almost 2 mpg to around 12.5. Putting 2 bikes on the roof and I'm down to 11 mpg. With the trailer, I'm probably closer to 10 mpg. I do drive almost everywhere at 75 to 80 mph, so that's probably 3-4 mpg right there compared to a couple of trips down the length of Baja where I generally drove around 60 mph.
We did have the TetonX layout modified to allow putting the bikes inside for security and for better aerodynamics on long trips.
As far as offroad, I don't think you have to worry about the ground clearance much.
But what you will find compared to a teardrop are challenges getting through the trees - both the height and width are likely to come into play at some point. The other difficulty is finding space to turn around if you get to a dead end or a blocked trail. I carry a Stihl battery chainsaw and have an ARK XO jockey wheel on the tongue to help in these situations.
Standing up to get dressed seems to be a common reason that people mention why they moved to something bigger than a teardrop (TetonX, Mission Overland, Taxa Cricket, Black Series), but I think the biggest advantage over one of those is not having to take your shoes on and off every time you get in and out. The teardrops were great for 4-5 days when the weather was reasonable (southwest US in the late spring through early fall) - definitely much quicker setup than a tent and with an awning, pretty protected from the sun (and rain). But on longer trips, being able to use the interior quickly - because of bad weather or because you're being stealthy without having to take off your shoes (and find a place to stash them - we used a plastic bag on the fender) makes all the difference.
MPG wise, I have a 4-runner with a V8. Initially, I was getting almost 16 mpg. When I put mud tires on it, that dropped to 14.5 mpg. Small lift and aftermarket bumper which removed the air dam on the stock bumper dropped it almost 2 mpg to around 12.5. Putting 2 bikes on the roof and I'm down to 11 mpg. With the trailer, I'm probably closer to 10 mpg. I do drive almost everywhere at 75 to 80 mph, so that's probably 3-4 mpg right there compared to a couple of trips down the length of Baja where I generally drove around 60 mph.
We did have the TetonX layout modified to allow putting the bikes inside for security and for better aerodynamics on long trips.
As far as offroad, I don't think you have to worry about the ground clearance much.
But what you will find compared to a teardrop are challenges getting through the trees - both the height and width are likely to come into play at some point. The other difficulty is finding space to turn around if you get to a dead end or a blocked trail. I carry a Stihl battery chainsaw and have an ARK XO jockey wheel on the tongue to help in these situations.
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nomad_games
Active member
yeah i thought about the turning around thing.
10mpg, that's crazy. that's what I got in my 91 E350 4x4 with a 4" lift and 35's. and that had a 460 V8 in it. I'm starting to wish I had kept that and put a pop top on it and bought a RZR or something.
10mpg, that's crazy. that's what I got in my 91 E350 4x4 with a 4" lift and 35's. and that had a 460 V8 in it. I'm starting to wish I had kept that and put a pop top on it and bought a RZR or something.